That thing I’m obsessed with
Fun fact, I havn’t used Google for web search in nearly 20 years.
How do I search for stuff on the web?
DuckDuckGo.
What? Why?
Nearly 20 years ago I learned Google alters it’s search results based on what it thinks you want to see vs the objective search result.
Since Google’s real business is selling advertising, they want to make sure you always see what you want to keep you coming back. Search results you receive vary based on what it thinks you liked seeing before. Rather than an honest answer to your search query.
This offends me. Just give me the best search results.
Around that same time I heard of an alternate web search tool called DuckDuckGo which was privacy focused, wouldn’t sell my search history for advertising $$$, and just gave me the best search results based on search terms.
I tried it out. Results seemed in line with what I previously received from Google. I kept using it.
Again, the appeal for me is that the search results are based solely on my search terms, such as “alternatives to Notion” or “ai alt text generator”. Not based on what it thinks would keep me on the site longer.
Social media does the same things: Fills your feed with content it thinks you will like based on what you’ve watched or clicked or liked before.
Email does NOT do this.
When I send you an email, you receive the email.
When I broadcast my email newsletter to my audience, it shows up in their Inbox shortly after I hit send.
With social you never really know when your audience is going to see your post.
With email, it’s easy.
(And even though your emails compete with other email in the inbox, I know that with a catchy subject line, odds of being opened are VERY high.)
Which leads to my obsession with email.
Email will always beat other forms of digital outreach for delivery and engagement. Your emails will get opened, they will get read, you will receive responses.
Getting started with a newsletter can seem pretty daunting, though. Ditto with staying consistent with publishing one.
My question to you is thus: outside of my paid services, what would help you the most right now?
- A step-by-step guide to set up your Newsletter in a marketing tool like Kit (formerly ConvertKit.)
- The framework I use to never run out of ideas for what to write in my next newsletter.
- Newsletter topics that are always a hit with your readers. A guide.
- The Newsletter Delivery Checklist – Following these best practices will make sure your newsletter is opened, read and replied to.
Email back with which of these would help you most.
Could be one, could be all. Email me what you need.
Talk soon…
Michael Helmke
P.S. Yes, this is another case of me gravitating to a product with a weird name.
I claim this is not an intentional strategy. Simply the products with the most utility to me happen to have weird names. Still, there must be something magnetic about odd naming to me 🙃
P.P.S. Credit to Chris for the subject line. Coming from California I’d never heard of “Duck, Duck, Grey Duck”, only Goose. Add that to the long list of Minnesota-isms I’ve learned from Tater-tot Hot Dish to Parking Ramps. Uff da.